Cutaneous manifestations of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Abstract

BackgroundCOVID‐19 has been linked to a variety of dermatological conditions.ObjectiveTo determine the presence of various cutaneous manifestations in patients with COVID‐19, also to define their features in relation to the systemic symptoms.MethodsThis research enrolled a total of 1206 lab‐confirmed COVID‐19 individuals at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Expert dermatologists assessed patients for COVID‐related skin conditions. COVID‐19 severity was categorized as asymptomatic/mild, moderate, or severe.ResultsOf the 102 (85.7%) patients with only one cutaneous sign, 26.5% developed maculo‐papular/morbiliform/erythematous rash; 14.7% urticaria; 9.85% vesicular/pustular exanthem; 14.7% vascular pattern; 12.7% infections, 7.8% miscellaneous and 9.8% late cutaneous findings A longer‐lasting vascular pattern was related with an older age and a fatal COVID‐19 outcomes (P: 0.000) compared to mild/moderate disease. Most of the retiform purpura presented exclusively with thromboembolic episodes. The moderate severity was correlated with maculopapular/morbiliform/exanthematous phenotype (P: 0.009), whereas urticaria was attributed to asymptomatic/mild disease (0.001) compared to moderate/severe infection.LimitationsSingle‐Centre and observational study.ConclusionVascular lesions were correlated with disastrous COVID‐19 outcomes, whereas retiform purpura was linked to adverse outcomes. The maculopapular/morbiliform/erythematous rash was associated with moderate severity, whilst the urticarial rash was linked to milder course compared to moderate/severe severity infection.